Child's Ironing Board

Is your preschooler interested in the daily activities you do? Have you ever had the experience of creating your child down with toys to keep him busy while you do dishes, only to find he is more interested in helping you than playing? Your child will surprise you with its ability to perform tasks that you thought were too difficult for him to do?

From the moment they are born, children are striving toward maturity. All they do is designed to develop the person they will one day grow up to be. While playing with other children and adults, and interact with objects in their environment, children learn about important issues along with others and how it works. Given the opportunity, children want to engage in meaningful activities that affect their environment.

Often, as parents, we think our children just want to play. And yet, at some level, we also know they want to do "adult" tasks. So we buy the playsets kitchen with plastic pots and pans, and iron boards and irons toys pretend. We let them "wash" the dishes while they are playing in the bathtub. We give them plastic hand tools so they can pretend to be built like Dad.

Actual work in the Montessori classroom

One unexpected finding Dr. Maria Montessori did when she began working with underprivileged children in the slums of Rome was their interest in the "real" activities. It has provided equipment for children to use, but their interest has been drawn to the daily, routine activities of adults have been successful. Finally, Montessori has provided equipment that allowed children to participate in activities of daily life.

Children are not only interested but also able to perform these daily tasks. One of the most visible differences between a Montessori kindergarten and a daycare or preschool typical environment is the degree to which children are involved in practical activities of the day. In a Montessori school, children participate in the preparation of snacks and meals, setting tables, cleaning the dishes, sweep the floors. Children help with equipment maintenance, cleaning tables, polishing wood and metal, minor repairs. The children wash their rags used for cleaning, drying, ironing them with a real iron, and fold them before putting them away carefully. Children also feel the responsibility to take care of themselves. In a Montessori classroom, children have the hooks and the hooks of their jackets. It shows them how to dress, comb, brush teeth and wash face and hands.

This enables children to succeed in these activities is twofold: the materials needed and detailed instructions. In order to work properly, you must have the proper tools. In a Montessori classroom, children use real brushes, but they are sized for small hands. A real iron are used: an iron Journey; smaller and easier to control, but capable of heating to the temperature required and perform the work properly. There are real hammers and screwdrivers, laundries, drying rooms, hangers, and knives, cutting boards, glass pitchers, brushes and combs. But all companies to integrate into the hands and the reach of a small child.

Before the student is allowed to use these real and potentially dangerous tools, it is given an appropriate lesson. The child is invited to attend a presentation. The teacher demonstrates the correct use of the material, highlighting the aspects that require special attention and care to achieve success. The child is then given the opportunity to try what she has seen, while the teacher observes closely, and help the child refine his movements as necessary.

The child grows up in several ways when it is allowed to participate in these types of daily activities. Fr